Ed van der Elsken

Three webdocs. The man in words and pictures.

Space Babies is 50% of Scrollytelling. They are producing three webdocs about Dutch artist Ed van der Elsken. A unique figure, Van der Elsken was renowned as a street photographer, and is recognised as the most important Dutch photographer of the 20th century. The webdocs are commissioned by Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and are part of Camera in Love, their major exhibition from 4 February to 21 May 2017.

The stories will be told in three parts, one with planned release date in Janary 2017, the second in February and the third in March. Read them in English or Dutch on edvanderelsken.amsterdam.

Story 1: Ed’s time travel

The first story will showcase Ed’s life from birth until the day he passed away. Ed has lived in The Netherlands, but also in Paris and Japan. Being Ed, there is a wealth of material on hand to show. We will select the most iconic photos, videos and events in his life, and chronicle it using an attrative linear timeline.

Story 2: Looking at Ed

The second story will feature friends, writers, photographers and various bon vivants, who share their thoughts about Ed’s photography in the vorm of video essays. This story will be produced in collaboration with de Volkskrant.

Story 3: #EDNOW

The third story will feature people who are inspired by Ed right now. The story will highlight the concepts Ed left us with. He was ahead of the curve: selfies and reality television were normal for him.